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I not only enjoy several shave sticks, I use *most* of my hard soaps as shave sticks. MWF is especially well suited to just rubbing the puck on your wet face, as it always provides plenty of product, super-rich lather, and doesn't cause the puck to swell & crack, and you can keep the puck in the original nice-looking box that the refill comes in and no spend money on a bowl.

I've only used Arko sticks & really like it. I found out about sticks thru this site, too. Made the leap on an Arko purchase - I was a bit hesitant at first since you can pretty much only get them in larger quantities. What if I didn't like it? I figured out the internet weirdos who seem to love the stuff would take it off my hands. As it turns out, I'm one of those internet weirdos now.

I only face lather, so just doing a simple face rub w/ the stick & lathering up w/ my brush works quite well. Sticks are great for travel, too.

I've only tried three different sticks, Erasmic, Palmolive European, and Arko. Of the three I prefer the Palmolive, very (very) closely followed by the Arko. The Erasmic was very "meh" for me, although I've read that it depends on which version you get....

I just remembered, I also tried Mama Bear's Bay rum, but it burned like hell before I washed it off. No permanent damage but I didn't give it a second chance!

The only two shaving sticks I've tried are Arko and Wilkinson Sword. Tried the Arko at home and decided I prefer bowl lathering, which I still do, so I cut it in two pieces and kept it in an old 200ml tub to load a brush for bowl lathering.

The Wilkinson I use in a travel kit for use at the health club twice a week. The 30-minute pre-soak my beard gets in the swimming pool during a workout can't be beat. Wilkinson stick is a fine soap, but the face lather during the first pass I find is still too thick. Practice may improve that, and the (copious) lather left in the brush for second and third passes is on the thin side, but still workable.

I've tried and had great luck with, at the budget end, Arko and the new-version Wilkinson-Sword sticks, and, at the higher-cost end, Tabac stick. Back to the budget stuff: the new-version Erasmic stick does not lather easily, but even with thin lather gives me very slick, very close and comfortable shaves.

I too only heard about them after joining B&B. I've only tried Arko and LaToja but I love them. They're so easy to use and the lather is second to none.

~Bob - Member: TOFLAC-U, Order of Pinaud, Alliance of Merkur, Excalibur
"I was born in the back seat of a Yellow Cab in a hospital loading zone and with the meter still running. I emerged needing a shave and shouted 'Time Square, and step on it!'"--Tom Waits

Hi all,
I am interesting in trying the palmolive and the Arko sticks, but ordering just one of each comes with a pretty rich price tag considering the conversion to $USD/CAD and the minimum shipping price. I know some members here jumped on board the crazy Amazon deal for Arko as well...

So, this is more of a request for those that might have some they coudl easily spare- I'm on a budget, but would very much like to try out both sticks- please PM me if you have some sticks to spare/ ship. I have both a CONUS (WA 98230) and Vancouver, BC (Burnaby actually) addresses I can use.

Thanks in advance,

Jeff

I am hoping to acquire anything sandalwood, all help and information most welcome!

I've got a few shaving sticks, but only one that I use in stick form, Mama Bear's Rosemary Mint. I like the twist-up container and keep it in my travel kit. I also have and use Speick, Irisch Moos, and Euro Palmolive, but these have all been grated into bowls for regular home use.

Larry

(TOFLAC-U, BOTOC, LOSER, Fountain Pen Junkie, Savior of Vintage Brushes, and some other stuff I forgot!)

I like it and even use this method with regular soaps since it is so simple. It helps that I have tough manly skin (not sensitive!) and thick whiskers. My whiskers scrape off the perfect amount of soap and I like the exfoliating and massaging effects of face lathering. It makes for some great shaves.

I saw a youtube video on arko but don't have the link handy but you can also load the sticks onto your brush if you prefer. Just hold the brush by the bristles to keep them from flopping and rub the stick on top of it.

On a related note, does anyone know where to get good containers to hold arko sticks when travelling? I think maybe a cylindrical pill bottle might work, or something similar.

"Regardless of how you feel inside, always try to look like a winner." - Arthur Ashe

I've only tried arko in the shave stick format. To be honest I couldn't get on with face lathering that well as it seemed that I couldn't get a decent lather going with it. Also I used to hate the wet bits of paper & foil that used to fall off into the sink!! Argh!!.
Still use arko from time to time but I mashed it down into a puck shape & bowl lather right in the dish it's in

Before I started with sticks, I was already a face latherer (just seems more simple and less messy to me). I pretty much use an Arko stick every day now, because it lathers so easily, is nice and slick, and cheap. I have a fairly minimalist approach to shaving (except for the number of razors that I buy), and all that sits on my sink shavingwise is a stick of Arko, my brush, and a ball-end Tech.

I just had a new experience with shaving sticks. Last night my 5 year old was lathering up for a "shave" when he saw my speick stick. He asked me if it was to eat. I suppose it does kind of look like a push up popsicle or something.

With the benefit of hindsight I should have answered, "no son, this isn't Arko."

As I wrote previously Palmolive sticks didn't do it for me. Yesterday I recieved a La Toja stick in the mail, and this morning I shaved with it. Great lather, great shave. This is my stick! Good thing I have one more incoming already.